Asia-Pacific News
Eight killed as fire sweeps through Hong Kong apartment block
Nov 30, 2011, 3:55 GMT
Hong Kong - Eight people died and at least 24 were injured when fire swept through a block of flats Wednesday in Hong Kong.
The fire began out in hawker stalls in the city's densely populated Mongkok district at around 4:30 am and spread to a nearby residential block, a fire services department spokesman said.
Witnesses said residents woken by the blaze fled to the roof of the building to be rescued by firefighters using ladders, as flames spread from the ground floor upward.
Eight charred bodies were found at the scene, and 24 people were sent to hospital for treatment. At least four of the dead were found on the stairways.
Firefighters were still trying to bring the fire under control late Wednesday morning.
The cause of the fire was not immediately known, but hawker stalls in the same area were targeted in December 2010 in an arson that left several people injured.
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